Year One: Batman/Scarecrow (2005)

This two-part mini-series, designed to tap into interest in Scarecrow around the release of Batman Begins essentially retells and greatly expands Scarecrow’s 1941 origin story. The story adds a southern gothic element to Scarecrow’s origin, introducing us to the bitter, insane grandmother who raised him. Scarecrow himself is reimagined as more of a Hannibal Lecter-type serial killer, who talks his victims to death before methodically putting them down for real. It’s not a perfect story, but it’s probably the best semi-recent Scarecrow tale, and it features some top notch early art from Sean Murphy.

WB Animation/DC Comics

The New Batman Adventures “Never Fear”

Okay, I’ve run out of good Scarecrow comic book stories, so let’s move on to cartoons! Batman: The Animated Series really nailed a lot of Batman villains, but they mostly flubbed Scarecrow. WB Animation didn’t really nail it until The New Batman Adventures, but boy did they ever nail it.

Essentially a loose adaptation of Fear for Sale, this episode finds Scarecrow trying to sell anti-fear gas. Eventually Batman is dosed and essentially becomes Frank Miller Batman, beating goons within an inch of their lives and killing crocodiles with his bare hands. The episode delves deep into some dark territory, essentially implying that Batman’s ban on killing is based on fear, not some sort of noble moral code.

Oh, and Jesus, I can’t even imagine how many kiddie nightmares this episode’s redesign of Scarecrow caused.

WB Animation/DC Comics

Kartoons for kids everybody!

Share This

Well, those are my favorite Scarecrow stories. Got any good ones I missed?

Oh, and if you’re wanting to read most of these stories, probably the best source is Batman: Scarecrow Tales, a collection of his best/most important stories released a few years back. It’s where I read some of these for the first time.

The only acceptable form of Joker would be involved with Batman having hallucinations/flashbacks that involve him, tied around Batman blaming himself for Joker’s death and the internal debate on the morality of letting a villain die and be (in his own mind, at least) partially responsible versus letting the villain live and risk him harming people.

In fact, one could take it so far in this final game that it ends (or at least the second act ends) with Batman actually killing Scarecrow or another main villain, leading to him retiring the cape and cowl and really, definitively end the Arkham game series.

Let’s not forget the little arc Paul Dini (I think) did in Detective Comics a few years back where Scarecrow abandoned the fear gas and just started randomly killing people Zodiac Killer style and sent Gotham City into a terrified paranoid frenzy without having to poison the water supply.

Eh, we always knew Deathstroke was just one of many assassins. Don’t get me wrong — I’m pretty sure Scarecrow won’t be the big climatic bad guy, but I think he’ll be more akin to Black Mask in Origins or Hugo Strange in City, which is a step up for the guy.

I’d say he had more good stories in the animated series than his entire history in the comics. I’m surprised Nate could dig up four. And not to spoil it but New Batman Adventures alone had two good Scarecrow stories, even though he’s only tangentially involved in “Over The Edge”.